michigan crayfish

[pike-pwner]

as i'm sure we know, the rusty crawyfish isnt our native species. what is the native species of crayfish to michigan and are they legal to use for bait? also of you have any recipies for crayfish i would love to know.
one more thing..... is it weird to catch pike on crayfish? one struck at it in the river by my house.

[Jnamo]

Not sure about you other questions....But Pike will eat crayfish as well as anything else they can get those teeth on! They love crayfish....

[outdoor junkie]

We used to just throw potatoes off the end of the dock and about an hour after nightfall we would go out there with a net and flashlight and get tons. We would just cook them on the fire until they turned bright red and eat them right there while we sat around the fire and drank our beer. Man they were tasty.:corkysm55

[pike-pwner]

oh really, i thought they were strictly fish eaters. i do know in a pike-populated area 20% of a pike is other pike.

[alex-v]

Do an advanced search down in the "legal questions" forum using the word crayfish as the search word. This is a topic that has been discussed there in detail several times over the last several years.

[Oldgrandman]

oh really, i thought they were strictly fish eaters. i do know in a pike-populated area 20% of a pike is other pike.

They eat night crawlers and leeches too :rant:.
I do not think you can use the rusty crayfish as bait. But you can eat em. I think there was an informative article on this site about them. (Linda G?) Or informative post if not an article. Seems like it anyways.
I think I get confused as old age sets in ;). Sometimes not...

[pike-pwner]

well i used them as bait, but i caught them right there, literally 20 feet away. so i know it may not matter to the law, but it matters to me lol

[fishinthed]

I know for sure you can't use rusty crayfish for bait anywhere other than where you catch them. It may be illegal to use them as bait at all, but I don't know.

Same may apply to gobies, but I've heard the bass & pike really go for 'em. I certainly don't see why anybody using them for bait where they already are would cause a problem ...

[waterfoul]

If you want to use gobies for bait just get some Gulp! gobies... they work better and last longer!

[Linda G.]

Unless they've changed the laws, which I haven't heard that they did, you can use the rusties for personal consumption and use as bait, but you CANNOT transport them from one body of water to another, nor can you sell them commercially.

But that, if it hasn't already, doesn't really matter anymore, as I don't know of one single body of water anywhere in the state that isn't overloaded with rusties.

In fact, I think the smaller natives are probably close to extinct in this state, as the rusties not only compete with the natives for food, but actually eat the natives. You can't stop them, they're a scourge that may take decades to show how bad they really are.

Those were rusties outdoor junkie caught and ate, I'll bet. They're the only crayfish Michigan has that are large enough to be bothered with for food.

[KI Jim]

1) Yes the crawfish are good to eat-tails only. Taste like shrimp. Steam or boil them with a bit of "Old Bay" seasoning.

2) The rusty craws eat good too.

3) Fish eat 'em all-domestics, rusties, big ones & small ones. Not just pike, but 'eyes, perch, crappie, 'gills, catfish-you name it.

3) The Huron river has lots of domestic craws in it.

Jim

[Oldgrandman]

Here is what I found in the rules, a little different than I remember it. I pasted this in from the DNR unlawful activity pdf file.

IT IS UNLAWFUL TO: Commercially take, possess, or sell rusty crayfish (Orconectes rusticus) in Michigan.

[waterfoul]

There's that word:

Possess

[pike-pwner]

ok, i didnt want to know about the legal.....ness of it, i mean its good to know, but i mainly want to know what the native species of michigan is... i did a search and came up empty handed.

[Oldgrandman]

ok, i didnt want to know about the legal.....ness of it, i mean its good to know, but i mainly want to know what the native species of michigan is... i did a search and came up empty handed.

Type this into www.google.com (http://www.google.com), crayfish species+michigan, you'll get info on them. I did...FWIW.

As for the possess thing, could be clearer I think. With that "comercially take" phrase ahead of it I have to wonder if thats what they are aiming the rule at, commercial harvesters.
I mean if your possessing them over a pot of boiling water with salt, napkins, and melted butter on the side, you are doing the ecosystem a favor, :lol:!

[BayCityKiddo]

I actually like to take the meat from the tail raw and use it as bait. Works wonders for any fish. Great for perch on perch rigs.

[fishinthed]

Smallmouths I've eaten have had way more crayfish than everything else put together in their stomachs. Usually small (~ 1.5") crayfish.

[thekoch]

They also make the best steelhead bait 3 to 1. My Dad was known as Captain Crawdad on certain rivers in oregon. He turned me on to it. Im still looking for some good waters here in michigan to put some traps and go hand lineing for them. any ideas? in the detroit metro area?

[fishinthed]

Lots of big trout and some salmon in the St. Clair River. :fish: This time of year they're near the power plant. I plan to hit it soon, having been told my boat and motor should be able to handle it easily enough. Do a search for "NOAA Great Lakes Charts" and you should be able to find the area. There's also a thread going on the St. Clair forum, "Hot fish report 3/22" or some such.

[sirslurpee]

"Rusty crayfish resemble lobsters, a distant saltwater relative. Sporting a thick, bony plated exoskeleton with oversized claws, a mature crayfish often has rusty spots on either side of the carapace.

They require permanent bodies of water with cover of rocks, logs, or tree branches. Rusty crayfish are voracious feeders and feast on aquatic plants, invertebrates, aquatic insects, and other crustaceans. Detritus, fish eggs, and small fish complete their diet.

A native of the Ohio River Basin, it is considered a threat to Michigan's native crayfish population, and could have environmental and economic impacts on local areas. The major threat is the reduction of aquatic plant beds and the species that live in these communities. Many fish may lose nesting areas and shelter when aquatic plant beds are reduced.

The release of rusty crayfish into Michigan waters by anglers using them as bait has allowed the spread of this non-native species.

A potential control of this aquatic alien may be as close as your cookbook. They can be used for a variety of tasty dishes. Michigan's fishing regulations place several restrictions on the use and sale of rusty crayfish in Michigan."